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Hello Battle Brothers and Sisters, Heretics and Xenos.

I'm new to the hobby and am starting to see the dozens of models I have yet to paint, and dozens more I plan to add to my army, as a daunting task.

It's been recommended to me that if I were to use an air brush, it would speed up the process for me.

I'm not looking for something cheap, but I also don't want to hand over 400-500 dollars for a brush and compressor.

Any recommendations, advice, or knowledge of which to steer clear of would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

It's entirely possible to airbrush "on the cheap" using a $20 China airbrush and a cheap compressor. Lots of people seem to start out that way.

That said, if you're getting into airbrushing you'll probably also want to look at a spray booth(so that you don't cover your entire painting desk/room in tiny paint particles), safety equipment like a good respirator, an airbrush cleaning pot to spray your airbrush cleaner/excess paint into, etc etc.

I think my airbrushing set up ended up being around $300 or so, mostly via Amazon(I'm in the US). I got a Badger Patriot 105 when it was on sale, a Master's portable spray booth, and a Master's compressor(I think it's the TC-20T). Add in cleaning materials, respirator, and so on, and it adds up a little more.

Keep in mind that an airbrush also isn't going to eliminate your need for regular painting entirely, but it will save time on basecoating, especially if you're doing armies with lots of armor/vehicles, like Space Marines or Tau.

Not trying to dissuade you from getting into airbrushing, just trying to point out that it's still going to cost a fair bit.

Cheap is relative. A decent airbrush from any good brand - which means replacemnet parts and generally better quality - is going to run you between 100 and 200. A compressor can also easily run you 200, 250, add some kind of spraybooth and accessories, and you are looking at 500.

If you want to dip your toe into it without spening that much, you could go for kits offered at the 100, 200 or 250 mark. However, those will be bits you'll toss out in favour or better kit if you stick with airbrushing.

I primarily use a H&S Evolution with a 0.4mm needle/nozzle. That is suitable for both primer, clear coats, metallic paint and acrylic paint. A minimum size of 0.3mm is recommended for acrylic paint due to the relatively large pigment sizes. That brush goes for 159 Euro with a second needle/nozzle, about 119 or so with a single set.

I use a compressor made by Sparmax sold by Revell, that was 250, but it does 60psi and has a tank so it doesn't have to constantly run while spraying.